Tablet box



V Patented Dec. 25, 1951 ortie TABLET BOX JamesH. ONeil, Syracuse, N. Y., assigner to Continental Can Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 3, 1945, Serial No. 602,965

(Cl. ZBO-36) 3 Claims.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in a tablet box and more particularly a box which can be runlatched by pressing on the rear portion of the cover.

An object of the invention is to provide a tablet box of the above type wherein the side walls of the body are of uniform height, and wherein each side wall is bodily displaced upwardly in the plane of the wall to form a fulcrum point of contact of the side wall with the cover, the fulcrum point being disposed forwardly from the rear wall of the body to permit the rear portion of the cover to be depressed for releasing the cover from a latch at the front of the box. n

A further object is to provide an improved and novel tablet box of the type having a hinged cover and latch which can be released by pressing on the rear portion of the cover, in which the cover and the body walls have smooth surfaces unbroken by any indentations or protuberances other than the latch or hinge formations.

Another object is to provide an improved hinge tablet box of the character described which requires a minimum amount of material for accomplishing the results desired.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan View of the box with the cover closed;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view from front to rear centrally through the box with the cover closed;

Figure 3 is a similar view with the cover unlatched; Figure 4 is a rear view of the box;

Figure 5 is a sectional View at one side of the is also made from a single piece of metal by dieshaping. There is a floating hinge connection between the cover and the body which permits the cover to move up and down on the body at the hinge connection and a yielding latch at the front of the box for holding the cover closed. Each side wall of the body is of uniform height throughout and is displaced bodily upwardly in the plane of the wall to form a fulcrum point of contact between the side wall and the cover, which point of contact is disposed forwardly from the rear wall of the body so as to permit the rear portion of the cover to be depressed for unlatching the cover from the body.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the improved tablet box includes a body portion having a front wall I, a rear wall 2 and side walls 3, 3. A bottom 4 .is formed integrally with the bottom portions of these walls.

The box also includes a cover having side walls 5, 5, a front wall 6 and a rear wall l. A top 8 is formed integrally with these walls of the cover;

The cover may or may not be domed upwardly' from iront to rear but if domed it merges into the vided with a downwardly extending portion IIT which is curved outwardly, then inwardly and upwardly to form a bead I2 in which the pintle is located. The rear wall is cut away at each end of the downward extension II as indicated at The rear wall 2 of the body portion is slit vertically along lines I4, I@ and the metal at thel outside of the slits is die-shaped so as to provide rearwardly projecting housings I5, I5. Thel pintle extends into these housings. YThe housings are of sucient height so that the pintle is free to move up and down therein to a limited extent. This is generally referred to as a floatingv hinge and is shown and described more in detail in the patent granted to Louis Hermanion September 30,1941, No. 2,257,682.

The front Wall of the body portion is provided with an outwardly extending detent lI'l which is adapted to engage a recess I6 formed inthe front wall of the cover. This serves as a yielding latch for securing rthe cover in closed posi-` tion.

The side .walls of .the body are of substantially uniform height from the front wall to the rear.

wall of the body Aand are arched bodily upwardly in the plane of the wall. As shown in Figure 1, the bottom 4 of the box which is formed integrally with thesel side walls 3 is likewise arched upwardly "from front to rear. side walls as shown in Figures 1 to '7 provides a curved upper edge for each. side wall. This upper edge is curved upwardly from the front and rear walls to an intermediate high point.

This arching of the,

'I'he curved edge of the side Walls is indicated at I8 in Figures 2 and 3 and the high point is located at I9. This high point is forwardly of the rear wall of the body but nearer said Wall than the front wall. This will form a relatively small point of tangential contact with the straight portion 9 of the cover along the side walls A, 5 of they cover.

This fulcrum point of contact between the cover and the body of the box when the cover is closed is so positioned that the rear' portion of the cover top is s-paced above the rear wall of the body. At this time thergcover iswlatched and the pintle l2 is in contact` with the upper wall of the housing l5. This prevents the cover from moving downwardly at theufrgnt if pres: sure is applied thereto incident to the stacking of the boxes one on another. When pressure is applied at the rear portion of the cover, the pintlean., ,moi/g downwardly. This will allow the cgverztdturn on the small contacting face which functions as a fulcruni for causing thelafho be @lee-S@ u t. Y t it isvnote'd that thewrel'ar wall is shown as of substantially the same height as the s'ide walls` and likewise'v the fiontlyvall of substantially themsarne height" as Vthewside and rear W'aill's. When the; wallsnagre a1lsubstantiallythe same height anduniiormwinnheight, hthen the height of the walls relative tou the thickness of the pellets ,contained ire. th h# .m-Y b fdd i0 aY minimum vand the r'aelle'tsV will` beuonned thereby.: Whenythe Sid@ reus., are bOlY hed unwardly, and the, wref. wall taboi straight!v thereis sufiicientm clearance between the top oi thecover andthe rear wall so as to per#4 mit the rearvportion of the cover to be depressed suiiiciently to release the latchf The iioating hingev is so constructedY and the parts thereof disposed so as to permit this unlatching movementnhwg A As shown h in lFigures 6 and inthe body inL cludes a rear Wall 2l) which is similar in construction with the rear wallfz., as shown in YFig-:f`

u1,es, 1 to V`i. It also includes awfro'nt Wall 'of similar construction and a bottom 2| which is formed ,integral withl the front, rear andk side Wallsu, The side walls 272, -2.2 and a portion of thebottom wall 2| is displaced upwardly inthe plane of the walls so that the side wall is arched bodily from front to rear in an upwarddir-l ,tionf vvvThe bottom. oi?` the box is straight from frontto rearexcept at the portions 213, where it Lis archeditdconform to the curvature of the bottom edge"ofatlie'side walls, VOtherwise, the bras Qf :the Same .ontfubtio'n as 'Shown in Figures l to '4 andthe cov'e'rzean .be A eeleasd ffrgmzitsiateh through the fuicrrfn rest 'on the sidedwall's and by pressing on the rear of the cover. While in theu'drawl'ingsnthe,.arch 'ofthe side wall'sis shown as curved, rit will be under# thatvtle; side walls may be straight (e for providing the intermediate high point I9y if v`so desired...4 l?

biibus that man :changs im, the 'de- .l ,onstuimig 'ma 'be mad without defpjtg fram the spirit fof the invention as ser ffrtn iiir the appended claims.

l'ca'fll. .t A. ...s Y 1,1 Aj inbox -miil'isineja bedr and e Wer', eaihuhaving rear, iront and sidewalls integrally connected to a bottom and top respectively with the cover walls surrounding the body Walls all of said body walls being of substantially the same height throughout, a hinge connecting the cover to the body so as to permit the cover to move up and down on the body at the hinge connection, a yielding latch connection at the front ofuthe b'ox,rea'ch side wall of the body being displaced bodily upwardly in the plane of the wall so as to provide an upper edge which is arched upwardly to form a fulcrum point of contact between the upper edge of the side wall and the cover said fulcrum point being disposed for- Wardlyfrom the Yrear wall of the body whereby the latching ofthe cover to the body may be released by pressure applied to the rear of the cover. Y

2. A tablet box comprising a body and a cover, each having rear, front and side walls integrally connected to a bottom and top respectively with the Acover Walls si iijrounding` theV body, walls all 0f Said body wallsbeins of. .Substantially the Seme height throughout, hinge connecting the cover to the body sol as to permit thel cover' to move i. upand down, 011th@ body Qffhehinee GQ11- nection, aI yieldinglatchr connection at the `front o f the box, each sidewall ofthe bodyv being displaced bodily upwardly in the plane of the wali so astio provide an upper edge which is arched upwardly to form a side Wall fulcrum for the cover disposed forwardlyfrom the rear Wall of the body whereby the latching of the cover to thebody may be released by pressure applied to the rear of the cover, the bottom of the box being curved upwardly to conform to the curvature of the lupper edge of the side Walls.

3. A tablet box comprising a body and a cover, each having rear,`front and side walls integrally connected to a bottom and top respectively with the cover wall surrounding the body walls all of said body Walls being of substantially the same height throughout, a hinge connecting the cover to the body so as toV permit the cover to move up and down on the body at the hinge connection, a yielding latch connection at the front of the box, each sidewall of the body being displaced bodily upwardly in the plane of the wall so as to provide an upper edge which is arched upwardly to form a side wall fulcrum for the cover disposed forwardly from the rear wall 0f the body whereby the latching of the cover to the body may be released by pressure applied to the rear of th'ecover, the bottom of the body in the region adjacent the side Walls beingk curved to conform to the upper edge of the side walls, the intermediate portion of the bottom lying in a plane containing the bottom edge of the front and rear walls.

JAMES H. ODEIL.

REFERENCES CITED AThe vfollowingv references are of record 'in the file of this patent:

'UNITED STATES' PATENTS 

